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This document is a 17th-century Portuguese administrative decree, dated 23 May 1641, issued during the reign of King João IV, and handled in Macau. The main text, partially legible through translation, records an order for the Council of Finance to disburse funds to the Bishop-Elect of Japan (Bispo Elleito do Japão) for the transmission of his Bulls, in accordance with the financial provisions granted to his predecessor. Marginal annotations confirm the date and location, with the notation “Macau, 23 May 1641” appearing on the left side of the page. A signature attributed to “João IV” is present in the lower left margin, alongside an unidentifiable mark. Three faded circular seals, likely wax or ink impressions, are centrally positioned, though no inscriptions are legible. A stamp marked “AHU” (Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino) appears in the lower left corner, indicating archival provenance within the Portuguese colonial record system. Additional handwritten elements include a partial annotation possibly reading “Pro Fazenda” or “Pro Fazenda d. João IV” and a small marginal mark “t”. The term “Elleito”, a period-appropriate orthographic variant of “Eleito”, reflects contemporary Portuguese ecclesiastical usage. Despite minor palaeographic variations, the document’s content, dating, and administrative context align consistently with Portuguese imperial practices in Asia following the restoration of independence in 1640. The sole anachronistic element, “a. 1. dec. 18”, is assessed as a later archival addition and not part of the original 1641 record. This manuscript constitutes a genuine primary source relevant to the study of Iberian colonial administration, ecclesiastical finance, and Lusophone Asia in the early modern period.
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This archival document is a composite 17th–18th-century manuscript collection, primarily comprising a Jesuit theological treatise titled *Answers to Twelve Questions or Doubts* (c. 1640), authored by Father Francisco, Vice-Provincial of the Society of Jesus in China, and addressed to Father Frey João Baptista de Morales of the Dominican Order in Manila. It also includes supplementary petitions, certifications, and polemical correspondence dated between 1639 and 1746, notably a 1641 petition by Fray António de Santa Maria of the Franciscan Province of San Gregorio in the Philippines concerning doctrinal disputes over Duns Scotus, and an August 1740 certification issued by Frei Bento de Christo, Governor of the Bishopric of China, authenticating copies for legal use in Macao. The text engages with complex missionary praxis in Qing China, addressing contested practices—including Christian participation in Confucian ancestral rites, baptismal adaptations for women, financial transactions with pagans, and liturgical translations—through extensive theological reasoning grounded in natural law, papal authority, and Scholastic precedent. Key figures include António Rubino (Jesuit Visitor), Francisco Monteiro Sóme (notary in Macau), and Domingos de Ipo (Governor of the Bishopric of China). The material originates from multiple locations: Macao (primary site of composition and authentication), Peking, Hangchow, Nan-chang, and Fo Kien, reflecting the transregional nature of the China mission. Housed in the National Library of Lisbon as part of MSS Box 83, No. 9, the collection serves as critical primary evidence for the history of Catholic missions, inter-order rivalry, and cross-cultural religious accommodation in early modern East Asia.
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Primary Sources
Subject Headings
- Bishops of Macau (1)
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Institutions
(1)
- Franciscans (1)
- Jesuits (1)
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- Manuscript (2)